Permuter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person involved in changing the sequence of entities into various configurations
2. Someone who alters the order of elements to create new arrangements
3. An individual who changes the sequence of objects or data into different patterns

Etymology: "Permuter" is a straightforward formation: the verb "permute" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, giving a word for one who permutes. "Permute" itself comes from Latin "permutare," meaning to change thoroughly or exchange, built from "per-" (through, thoroughly) and "mutare" (to change), the same root that gives English "mutable" and "mutation." The suffix is the more old-fashioned part of the story. The "-er" ending descends from Latin "-arius," a suffix attaching a person or thing to an activity or occupation. It passed into Old English as "-ere," the ancestor of the modern agent ending, and it is the same ending found in words like "baker" and "writer." Attaching it to a Latinate verb such as "permute" simply gives an English-built noun for someone doing the action.